S310 Male Logic
by ZenosParadox
Summary: RS, Tu. Reed and Sato collect a sample and then Malcolm has to seek Trip's advice about Hoshi. Missing scenes and Coda for Simile, Episode 10, Season 3
1. Simile

Title: S310A Simile Author: ZenosParadox Rating: PG  
  
Summary: RS. Reed and Sato obtain samples from substance attaching to the hull. Missing scene for Similitude, Episode 10, season 3.  
  
Notes: Mild spoilers for Similitude. Written November 26, 2003. Disclaimer: The characters belong to Paramount. This fiction was written solely for personal enjoyment.  
  
SIMILE  
  
"It looks ugly, doesn't it?" asked Ensign Sato as she approached Lieutenant Reed. She had found him staring out the window of the observation lounge. The particulate matter that was attaching to the hull could clearly be seen on the nacelles from his vantage.  
  
"It's like an invasion of Trip's territory," responded Reed quietly. He bowed his head as the phrase escaped him. He thought of Trip Tucker, the Chief Engineer, who was barely alive in sickbay. "He'd be upset to see his ship's beauty marred like this. He works so hard to keep her pristine."  
  
"It reminds me of the cancer that killed my grandfather. It made me feel helpless to watch him fade away, but I still went to sit by his side every day." Sato's voice held no censure, although she knew Reed had stubbornly avoided sickbay since Trip had been injured.  
  
"But does it help to watch someone you--you love die?"  
  
"You're feeling helpless about Trip?" asked Hoshi and Malcolm responded with an immediate nod. That was all he could do at the moment.   
  
"Not as bad as the Captain or T'Pol, but with all my crew working on the engines, there's not much for me to do. We can't simply blast our way out of this."  
  
"Do we even know what's out there attaching to the ship? Hasn't T'Pol--"  
  
"She's been too preoccupied with the engines to think about doing more than superficial scans of the substance. Same with the Captain."  
  
Sato was quiet for just one moment as she realized the grief these people carried was like a dark cloud affecting the judgment of her superior officers. She gave a sideward glance to Reed and straightened her shoulders. If he lashed out, she would just have to take it--and put extra salt in his soup the next time they had dinner.   
  
The Ensign adopted a soldier's posture and tone of voice. "Forgive me for speaking freely, sir, but what the hell are you doing brooding in here when you could be out there taking scans and getting a sample? You have the authority to order your own investigation I believe."  
  
Reed turned to look at the insubordinate officer with a reprimand on his lips, but she met his steady gaze. Her words sunk in and he could have kicked himself. He folded his arms across his chest and had the barest hint of a smile on his face.  
  
"You're right, Ensign, and thank you for volunteering. Suit up and meet me in 30 minutes. We'll investigate the hull. Dismissed."  
  
Sato closed her mouth, gave a quick nod and walked away. Leave it to Reed to turn the tables on her, but her step was sprightly. The sense of purpose washed over her.  
  
-----  
  
"It's a very strong magnet, but what about this section? It doesn't look as thick," said Sato through the comm link in her EV suit. She and Reed had been on the hull for the past 15 minutes and had completed their detailed scans. When it came time to collect an actual sample, they had been frustrated, however.  
  
Reed tapped at the bulge that rested on the hull with the small hammer. He took out his laser and tried to cut it. It remained stubbornly inert. "It might be thinner, but it's not budging, either."  
  
Sato approached the protuberance and kicked at it. She saw Reed's helmet turn her direction from where he knelt by their intended specimen. Reed could see her shrug through the EV suit as her voice said, "It was worth a try."  
  
"I'd like nothing better than to blast it with a phase rifle," muttered Reed as Sato knelt by his side.   
  
"I'll go get one if you think there's half a chance of it working," offered Sato offhandedly.  
  
"Very well. I'll stay here and see if I get any further. Be sure to get one that's fully charged."  
  
"You really think it will work? I was just joking."  
  
"Even if we don't get a sample, I'll feel better," said Reed honestly.  
  
"All right, but I get to take a shot at it, too, sir."  
  
"Request granted, Ensign, now hurry up."  
  
-----  
  
"Travis checked it out. It's fully charged."   
  
Sato appeared by Reed with the rifle in her hands. Mayweather had procured it from the Armory and met her at the hatch with a word about taking a shot for him.  
  
"Good, now stand behind me and hold on to me. The phase blast is likely to send me backwards even with the magnets on our boots."  
  
Sato took a firm hold of Reed's EV suit and felt the recoil as he blasted the sample.   
  
"It worked!" The officers were elated.   
  
"Sort of," added Reed.   
  
Sato peeked around his shoulders to see the piece settle again against the hull.   
  
Reed muttered, "Damn magnet."  
  
"If one of us catches it when it becomes detached--"  
  
"That could work. All right, you get to take your shot," said Reed as he gave Sato the weapon.  
  
Sato took the rifle and swallowed as she realized what she had to do. "Sir, you're sure about this?"  
  
"It's a stationary target, Ensign. Your marksmanship easily qualifies you for the task," said Reed as he pulled the retracting line from the legs of her EV suit. "We'll anchor you to the hull to account for the recoil, though."  
  
Reed quickly had Sato's lines tied to bolts on the hull. As he assumed his position on the other side of the intended sample, he said, "By the way, if I ever did anything to offend you, please forgive me."  
  
Sato nodded inside of her helmet, but before she raised the rifle to take the shot, she asked, "Was my soup really salty when I helped Chef out last year?"  
  
She could see Reed's helmet turn up to her, although she didn't see his face clearly.  
  
"You know, I don't really remember. Perhaps you should make the recipe again and I'll try it."  
  
"Good enough," responded Sato as she quickly made her shot. The Lieutenant has excellent hands, she thought as he quickly captured the specimen.   
  
"Nice work, Ensign. Uh, you can put the rifle away now," said Reed.  
  
"Travis wanted me to take a shot for him."  
  
"Well, we could use another sample. Aim at this one here. Good, now let's--" Reed was interrupted again.  
  
"Don't you think I should take a shot for the Captain and T'Pol?"  
  
"No, I think I should take a shot for the Captain and T'Pol."  
  
"All right. And one for Porthos, too."  
  
"And I think we each need to take one for Trip," said Malcolm. He could see Hoshi grinning her approval. The Chief Engineer would have liked the tribute.  
  
The officers went about collecting their samples. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.  
  
*****  
  
If I have strayed from the details about the specimen collection, the forgive me. I just remembered that Reed had been in charge of acquiring the sample and that a rifle had been used. Hope it works.   
  
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary. 


	2. Male Logic

Title: S310B Male Logic Author: ZenosParadox Rating: PG  
  
Summary: RS, Tu. Trip and Malcolm apply male logic to explaining kisses. Coda for Similitude, Episode 10, Season 3.  
  
Notes: Mild spoilers, written November 29, 2003. Disclaimer: The character names belong to Paramount. This fiction was written solely for personal enjoyment.  
  
MALE LOGIC  
  
"Trip?" asked Malcolm as he approached the man in the deserted mess hall in the afternoon.  
  
Trip looked up with a sigh, grateful that it was Malcolm and not the more exuberant Travis or inquisitive Hoshi. Sim's funeral had been that morning and he didn't want to deal with questions.  
  
"Have a seat, Malcolm. I wouldn't mind some quiet company about now."   
  
Malcolm smiled lightly, but remained standing. "Actually, I have something I'd like to discuss with you. It can wait, though."  
  
Malcolm was about to leave when Trip said, "Hey, Malcolm, come on. You don't have to be that quiet. I just don't want to talk about--about him."  
  
"Actually, my topic concerns Hoshi."  
  
Now Trip was intrigued, but couldn't prevent his smirk as he said, "Finally notice she has a nice bum, did ya?"  
  
Trip registered the look that flashed across Malcolm's eyes and changed his tone, "Whoa. You look serious. What happened? Did you insult her soup again?"  
  
"No, not yet anyway. But that's the problem. I'm supposed to have dinner with her."  
  
"I thought you typically eat dinner with Hoshi and Travis."  
  
"Yes, but tonight she's cooking and I'm supposed to have dinner with her in her quarters."  
  
"You've got me stumped here, Malcolm. You've eaten in her quarters before. What's the problem besides your sticking your foot in your mouth?"  
  
"She kissed me."  
  
"Beg pardon?"  
  
"Hoshi kissed me."   
  
Malcolm saw Trip's eyebrows rise. "Well, I mean I kissed her before when she, uh, never mind, but that was just for a reality check."  
  
"You've got a weird way of checking reality, but I think I like it," muttered Trip, only to have Malcolm frown at him.  
  
"It wasn't that kind of kiss, but this time, well." Malcolm sighed, "Actually, she kissed Travis, too, but just on his cheek."  
  
"I take it you got some lip action?"  
  
"It was just before we used the shuttlepods to tow Enterprise--do you know about that?"  
  
Trip nodded. Indeed, he had a déjà vu experience, but assumed the source was the record of the operation. "I read the report. So, Hoshi was smooching all and sundry. Doesn't sound like her."  
  
"You know, it was rather strange because T'Pol was standing in the launch bay when she kissed us." Malcolm's voice trailed off as he considered this.  
  
"I don't suppose Hoshi kissed her, too?"  
  
"What? No, of course not, but now I remember! Hoshi did say something to T'Pol about good luck before she kissed us."   
  
Trip was now very interested in this little interlude. Trip had the strangest feeling that Sim had managed to get a kiss from T'Pol, but he came to believe it was just a persistent dream of Sim rather than reality. Trip had been struggling with that issue since he had seen the Vulcan standing across from him at Sim's funeral. Had he somehow received some of Sim's memories? And were these memories of dreams or real events? He shrugged off his thoughts and answered his friend.  
  
"Malcolm, it seems innocent enough. I don't think you have to worry about Hoshi having you for dinner, so to speak."  
  
"It's not Hoshi's reaction I'm worried about, it's mine." Malcolm's confession was reluctant, but he needed to get it off his chest before he blurted out something stupid to Hoshi.  
  
"You mean you got more than a 'good luck' feeling from Hoshi's kiss?" As Malcolm nodded, Trip added, "Well, it's been awhile since we left Earth, so you were just responding like any normal male. Don't make any more out of it."  
  
"Trip, I know my own body. This response was not driven by sexual deprivation. It was different, it was--it wasn't lust. It was sweet and warm and I can't stop thinking about her."  
  
"But you don't want to do anything to damage your relationship with her," said Trip in full understanding.   
  
"Exactly, so I think the best thing to do is avoid Hoshi until I can get my head together."  
  
"Sounds like a good move to me. I'd do the same thing."  
  
"Really? Well, then, I guess I'll just have to tell Hoshi I'm too busy to have dinner with her."  
  
And I'll tell T'Pol that I don't need any more neuropressure, thought Trip. The men nodded firmly to each other, and Malcolm offered his hand. "Thanks, Trip. It's really good to have you back."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"I'm glad your problem didn't keep you too long in the Armory," said Hoshi as she ladled the soup into a bowl.   
  
"It was just a minor glitch." Then Malcolm muttered under his breath, "I finally came to my senses."  
  
"What was that? It was a problem with the sensors?" asked Hoshi as she turned around with her own bowl.  
  
"Yes, that was exactly the problem." Malcolm smiled, then noticed Hoshi's expectant look. Right, time to taste the soup and not hurt her feelings. He could do this, he told himself. If he could eat his mother's concoctions, he could ingest almost anything.  
  
Malcolm took a spoonful, blew on it gently, and swallowed quickly. He tried to hide the surprise on his face, but couldn't prevent the small smile as he said, "It's delicious."  
  
"I'm glad you like. I've got some pineapple upside-down cake for dessert, too."  
  
"You didn't have to go to all that trouble."  
  
"It's my way of apologizing for laying one on you in front of T'Pol."  
  
Malcolm blinked once. "You mean the--"  
  
"Kiss in the launch bay. I didn't mean to embarrass you and I feel bad about using you like that."  
  
"Using me?"  
  
"T'Pol and I were talking about how humans say good-bye. I think she was concerned about how to bid farewell to Sim."   
  
Malcolm nodded, so she continued. "I was reviewing gestures like a handshake and a hug, but when we talked about kissing she thought it had to mean, uh, an intimate relationship."  
  
"I see. So you decided to demonstrate a kiss that had nothing to do with, er, intimacy," said Malcolm. The disappointment rang through his heart, but it was coupled with a bit of relief, he told himself.  
  
"I wouldn't put it quite that way. I wanted to show T'Pol a friendly kiss for good luck," said Hoshi. And then I got carried away, she added to herself. "I hope you're not upset."  
  
"No, I understand. Thanks for explaining everything, though," said Malcolm sincerely. They sipped quietly at their broth for a moment before he added, "You know, T'Pol went to see Sim before he--he went to sickbay."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I maintained surveillance on Sim after his attempt to run away."  
  
Hoshi was surprised by this revelation. "Were you under orders?"  
  
"It's my job, Hoshi. If Sim hadn't volunteered, I would have been the one to ensure his delivery to sickbay."  
  
Malcolm looked away from Hoshi thinking she would be repulsed by his dogged fulfillment of duty.  
  
"You must have been relieved when Sim went of his own free will," she said softly.  
  
"Yes, yes I was," responded Malcolm. He looked into her eyes and saw understanding. Funny. He had that sweet, warm feeling again and Hoshi wasn't even kissing him.  
  
"So do you think T'Pol said good-bye with a kiss?" asked Hoshi.  
  
"Of course not. She is a Vulcan after all."  
  
Hoshi just smiled at the application of male logic. They were always underestimating the women around them. "Well, we'll never know. Now try this cake. You've never tasted anything this sweet."  
  
Malcolm's gaze lingered on Hoshi's mouth for just a moment before he accepted the cake. He was glad he had discarded Trip's advice about avoiding Hoshi. Sometimes male logic wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  
  
*****  
  
Author Notes: I wanted something to explain how T'Pol came up with a kiss for Sim, so this is my idea. Revised from the original story where Trip had recovered Sim's memories rather than being vague about them.  
  
Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary. 


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